A work status reserved for citizens of Canada and Mexico by the CUSMA agreement. It covers a list of professions (engineers, accountants, nurses, computer specialists and so on), requires a job offer and the required degree, is applied for directly at the border by a Canadian, costs US$56 and is renewed in three-year periods.

Can a permanent resident of Canada work in the USA?

Not under TN status, which is reserved for Canadian and Mexican citizens. A permanent resident must use the routes open to their nationality: H-1B, L-1, O-1 or E-2 depending on their country, with a visa from a consulate.

Can you work remotely for a U.S. company from Canada?

Yes, with no U.S. status at all, since the work is performed in Canada. The question becomes tax and contractual (employee or contractor, withholdings, tax treaty), not immigration. Working remotely from inside the United States, on the other hand, requires a work status.

After citizenshipAugust 29, 2026 · 6 min read · By Julien Durand

Can a Canadian Work in the USA? TN, L-1, H-1B and the Other Routes

Q: Can a Canadian work in the USA?

Yes, but never on the simple visitor visa exemption. You need a work status: TN status under CUSMA for around sixty professions, an L-1 intracompany transfer, an H-1B, O-1 or E-2 visa, or a green card.

Yes, with a work status: TN at the border for 60 professions, L-1, H-1B (and its $100,000 fee), O-1, E-2, green card. Requirements, costs and pitfalls.

A laptop showing an online form, a coffee cup and a small Canadian flag

Yes, a Canadian citizen can work in the United States, but never on the simple visa exemption that lets them travel there: a work status is required. The most accessible is TN status, created by the free trade agreement and reserved for Canadians and Mexicans, which is applied for directly at the border for about sixty professions. Then come the L-1 intracompany transfer, the H-1B visa, which became very expensive in 2025, the O-1 and E-2 visas, and the green card. Here is what each route requires, what it costs, and the mistakes that cost an entry ban.

What the visa exemption does not allow

A Canadian enters the United States without a visa as a visitor, but that B-1/B-2 status forbids any employment for a U.S. employer, salaried or not, paid or not. B-1 only allows business activities: meetings, negotiations, training, trade shows, after-sales service on a product sold from Canada. Working "a few weeks for a friend" or telecommuting for a U.S. company from an apartment in Miami is unauthorized work. Discovered at the border or during a check, it leads to a refusal of entry, the loss of the visa exemption and, often, a five-year ban. Our article on U.S. visas for Canadians recaps the limits of that visitor status.

TN status: the Canadian fast lane

TN status comes from NAFTA, carried over into CUSMA. It is open only to citizens of Canada and Mexico, for a closed list of about sixty professions: engineer, accountant, computer systems analyst, registered nurse, scientist, economist, architect, college or university teacher, management consultant, among others. You need a written job offer from a U.S. employer, the degree or credential required for the profession, and a position that genuinely matches that profession.

The decisive advantage for a Canadian: no prior petition and no visa. You show up at a port of entry or at U.S. preclearance in a Canadian airport with the offer letter, your diplomas, your résumé and your passport, you pay US$56, and the officer decides on the spot. Status is granted for three years, renewable without limit, provided you keep nonimmigrant intent. Spouses and children receive TD status, which allows study but not work. The offer must stay within the same profession: changing employers requires a new application.

The L-1 intracompany transfer

If you have worked for at least one year for a Canadian company that has a subsidiary, parent or branch in the United States, the L-1 visa lets you transfer there as a manager or executive (L-1A, up to seven years) or as an employee with specialized knowledge (L-1B, up to five years). Here again Canadians have a privilege: the application can be filed directly at the border, with the employer's I-129 petition, instead of going through USCIS and then a consulate. The spouse of an L-1 holder can work in the United States.

The H-1B and its $100,000 fee

The H-1B is the best-known specialty work visa, but it has become the least practical route for a Canadian. It is subject to an annual lottery capped at 85,000 places, and since September 21, 2025 a presidential proclamation imposes a US$100,000 fee on the employer for any new H-1B petition filed for a worker who is outside the United States. The measure is set for twelve months, until September 2026, unless extended. Changes of status from inside the United States, for example from TN to H-1B, are exempt. The conclusion for most Canadian professionals: start in TN, and consider the H-1B only from U.S. soil, when permanent residence is on the horizon.

O-1, E-2 and the green card

O-1, extraordinary ability: for people recognized in their field (sciences, arts, business, sport). Petition by the employer or an agent, evidence of distinction, initial period of three years.
E-2, treaty investor: Canada is a treaty country. You need a substantial investment in a U.S. business that you direct. Unlike TN and L-1, the E-2 visa must be issued by a consulate, with 2026 appointment waits.
The green card: permanent residence, through family sponsorship, through the employer (often after a few years in TN or L-1) or through the diversity lottery, from which Canadians are excluded. Beware: obtaining a green card brings worldwide U.S. tax obligations and a potential exit tax if you give it up later.

Permanent resident of Canada: half the doors close

TN status and filing the L-1 at the border are reserved for Canadian citizens. A permanent resident of Canada works in the United States under the rules of their nationality: H-1B with its fee, L-1 through the ordinary route, O-1, or E-2 only if their country of citizenship is a treaty country. They also need a visa stamped at a consulate, which adds months. It is one of the most concrete differences between permanent resident and citizen, and an argument many professionals cite for applying for citizenship as soon as they are eligible. Our article on U.S. visas for permanent residents of Canada covers entry as a visitor.

Taxes, Social Security and living on both sides

A Canadian working in the United States gets a U.S. Social Security number, receives a W-2 and reports income to the IRS. Depending on the days spent on each side, they may remain a Canadian tax resident, become a U.S. tax resident, or both, in which case the Canada-U.S. tax treaty designates a single country of residence. A permanent departure from Canada triggers the departure tax on certain assets and the end of provincial health coverage. The day-counting rules, including the substantial presence test, are explained in our article on how long a Canadian can stay in the US. A first meeting with a cross-border accountant before accepting the offer avoids mistakes that cost thousands of dollars.

Key takeaways

Visitor status allows no work, not even remotely from inside the United States.
TN status is the simplest route for a Canadian citizen: at the border, US$56, three years renewable, closed list of professions.
The L-1 is also applied for at the border; the H-1B has cost employers $100,000 since 2025 for a worker outside the United States.
A permanent resident of Canada has access to neither TN nor L-1 at the border: citizenship changes everything.

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